Police chief met with hate-crime researcher who reported racist attack in London

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London’s police chief recently travelled to Ottawa to meet with a hate-crime researcher who accused police of mishandling her complaint about being targeted in an alleged racist attack while attending the sentencing of Nathaniel Veltman earlier this year.

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The revelation that Chief Thai Truong and one of his deputies went to the nation’s capital to meet with Mariam Musse, an analyst for the Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime (OFOVC), was included in the agency’s new report evaluating the response to hate crimes in Canada.

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The study released this week highlighted Musse’s experience in London – previously made public in a media report – and illustrated the hands-on approach Truong has taken to community outreach since he became the city’s top cop 18 months ago.

Musse, who is Black, was in London in January to record victim impact statements at the sentencing of Veltman, a white nationalist who killed four members of a Muslim family in a terrorist attack on June 6, 2021.

The hijab-wearing bureaucrat alleges a man driving a white SUV threw a bottle of pop at her and yelled a racist, Islamophobic and misogynist taunt on Jan. 3, according to a report in the Globe and Mail.

Musse reported the incident to police, who questioned whether it was a teenage prank and said the investigation would be difficult because she didn’t get the vehicle’s licence plate number and there were multiple occupants inside, the 40-page hate crimes report said.

“I felt like a burden to the police . . . I was mad at myself for not noting key details, feeling as if I was to blame if the police couldn’t catch the perpetrator,” Musse said in the study that provided an update to her case under a section detailing the fallout from the Afzaal killings.

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Truong and deputy Chief Paul Bastien met with Musse and other officials on Oct. 28 after the OFOVC ombudsperson requested a meeting as part of its commitment to engage with any organizations that are criticized in its research, the report said.

Musse commended the “sincerity and humility” of Truong and Bastien, who offered their apologies and acknowledged room for improvement.

“I entered the meeting with some uncertainty, but I left feeling a sense of understanding and hope for positive outcomes,” she said in the report.

Truong and Bastien thanked Musse for reporting the incident, saying it helps with data collection and could potentially establish connections to other cases, the report said.

Musse’s case remains open, the report said. A police spokesperson said there were no updates to provide as of Wednesday.

The report made 13 recommendations to the government including the following: amend the criminal code to create a standalone offence for hate crimes, add femicide to the Criminal Code and ensure victims play a central role in the action plan to combat hate crimes.

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The federal ombudsman for victims of hate crimes said an effective response requires more resources in addition to legislative changes.

“Strategic investments in specialized hate crime units, expanded support services, and comprehensive training are necessary,” Benjamin Roebuck said in a statement. “Enhancing public awareness and removing barriers to victim support are also essential . . . and ensuring that hate crime victims get the support and protection they need.”

dcarruthers@postmedia.com
@DaleatLFPress

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